BY DARLA A. BAKER
TEHACHAPI — A single-engine Vans RV-8 aircraft with one person aboard crashed onto the rooftop of a business near Tehachapi Municipal Airport in Tehachapi shortly before noon Friday.
The plane landed inside the heavily damaged business, and the Kern County Fire Department confirmed that the pilot died.
A small fuel leak was quickly mitigated by the Kern County Fire Department. No explosion or fire was reported.
The crash occurred inside the Industrial Park located in the 400 block of North Greet Street located just outside the perimeter of the airport.
First responders included the Kern County Fire Department, with engines from Tehachapi, Golden Hills, Bear Valley Springs and surrounding community, Tehachapi Police Department, Hall Ambulance and Edison and Kern County Fire, Search and Rescue.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident. A cause was not known Friday afternoon.
No other injuries were reported by anyone on the ground.
